Photo: A researcher collects water samples for eDNA analysis, one of the six monitoring methods being tested. Luke McKenna/FAO.
1 May 2026 – A partnership between the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Map of Life Solutions has identified over 740 species in Guyana so far through mixed-method biodiversity monitoring.
Researchers involved in the partnership collect and analyze data from Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme sites in five countries: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guyana, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and Zambia.
By combining data from camera traps, environmental DNA (eDNA), soundscapes, bird counts, fish stock assessments and Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) with AI-assisted analysis, researchers can accurately identify more species and develop a better understanding of biodiversity-rich ecosystems. This in turn helps governments and resource managers make more informed decisions about how to sustainably manage their natural resources through policies, markets, and national frameworks.
“Biodiversity is in crisis, and decision-makers have been flying blind – lacking the reliable, standardized data they need to act across scales,” said Chrissy Durkin, CEO for Map of Life Solutions.
“This partnership is changing that. By combining cutting-edge monitoring methods with the knowledge of local communities and indigenous peoples on the ground, and feeding all of it into models that are relevant and decision-ready across time and space, we’re producing biodiversity intelligence that is rigorous enough to shape national policy and trustworthy enough to support nature finance.”
Acknowledgements
Map of Life Solutions is powered by the science of the Center for Biodiversity and Global Change at Yale University. Their partnership with CIFOR-ICRAF is funded by the European Commission (EC) and facilitated through the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme. Acoustic monitoring, camera trap monitoring, and AI analysis are provided through Wildmon, while Map of Life Solutions facilitates the eDNA sampling, lab processing, and data integration to produce species distribution models that power standardized metrics.
The SWM Programme is a major international initiative that aims to improve the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife in forest, savannah and wetland ecosystems. It is funded by the European Union, with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD). Projects are being piloted and tested with governments and communities in 16 participating countries. The initiative is coordinated by a dynamic consortium of four partners, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).